NIU cheerleaders put their crowd work, tumbling and dance skills to the test at the National Cheerleaders Association College National Championships on April 1 and 2 in Daytona Beach, Fla., placing eighth overall.

The cheerleaders qualified within the top 16 teams in Division 1A in December after submitting a 90-second video showcasing their best skills.

Of the 31 cheerleaders in the program, 20 competed based on a complete package of skills and people who would complement each other, NIU cheerleading coach Al Enlow said.

The competition included a 45-second crowd score during the preliminaries where cheerleaders used NIU flags and red and black banners used at football games and a two-minute-and-15-second performance of a routine to music. Routines are scored on a zero to 10 point scale, judged by pyramid skills, dance, tumbling, motions and overall impression, Enlow said.

Preparation for the event included practicing five times a week, including games, and developing sponsorships for fundraising, said Cara Peters, co-captain of the nationals team.

Cheerleaders hoped to finish within the top five teams to achieve publicity for NIU. In past years, NIU cheerleaders have placed second, and last year they placed 12th.

“We go down there representing NIU, and you want to walk away knowing that you made your school proud,” Peters said. “In order to form a tradition, you have to start somewhere.”

For many cheerleaders, competitions are the most important and fulfilling part of the job.

“Most of us have done this since we were itty-bittys,” Peters said. “This is what we live for.”

The competition will be aired on television at 2 p.m. April 17 on CBS Sports.